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Activities and projects for video production students

 

GETTING STARTED

Begin with the basics:  I start my youngest students (6th graders) with some basic skills exercises.  Before working on the live show (produced by the Advanced Broadcasting students), my "Intro." students learn the following:

  • Camera shots (including lead room, moving lead room, rule of thirds, etc.)  They begin by drawing examples.
  • Basic camera operation (focus, iris, white balancing, zooming, panning).
  • Concept of linear and nonlinear editing.
  • Studio lighting.
  • Chromakey (theory and application).
  • Script writing (especially for news stories).
  • Balanced reporting (a story on cafeteria prices, for instance, should include an interview with a cafeteria staff person).
  • Design and purpose of corner bugs, lower 3rd graphics, over-the-shoulders).
  • Speed as it relates to tape speed when shooting on location and editing linearly.
  • Videotape formats.  (i.e. Why does SVHS look better than VHS?)  How does digital compare?
  • Daily journals (see bottom of page for ideas!)
LINKS TO SITES WITH LESSON ACTIVITY IDEAS
 
JOURNAL WRITING IN A BROADCASTING CLASS
Okay, it's not my students' favorite activity, but as a former English teacher I haven't given up on the concept of daily journal writing.  Each period begins with a series of journal activities.  I view each class as a "staff" and as staff they are held responsible for keeping track of EVERYTHING that is happening with regard to our news program.  Sometimes the journal topics involve a new concept that I would like them to internalize, or perhaps they are listing the stories that have been completed for the current show.  Or their journal assignment might be to write the anchor's script for the following week's show.

The best journal entries, I feel, are the ones that require students to think like media professionals-  to deal with real life examples.  A great source of ideas, I have found, is the Web Site b-roll.net.  A place for professional photographers, this site's bulletin board section has an ongoing discussion thread.  Currently there is a discussion topic started by a news photographer who was filming a car accident victim being loaded onto an ambulance.  The victim's husband requested that the photographer stop shooting. When the camera person refused to stop, the husband objected by physically assaulting the camera person.  Responses to the thread by other photographers is very interesting.

While there is no "right or wrong answer", this type of journal topic provides a wonderful opportunity to engage students in a discussion about the role of the media, the rights of the media, and the responsibilities of the media.

Doug Green/Aviara Oaks Television, Carlsbad, California
 
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